Lo Loestrin Fe - what happens if I take one of the white pills before finishing up the other four?

Responses (1)

You HAVE to take these pills in order! If you do not, you will not be properly protected. Both the blue and the white tablets have active hormonal ingredients but in differing amounts. This is to help mimic your natural cycle a little better. The brown tablets are inert or inactive-there is no hormone in the brown tablets. By skipping the four blue tablets and going to a white tablet, you may not be fully protected-it is just as if you missed four days of pills-you could ovulate and you should use back up protection and I would recommend you do so for the remainder of the month and until you have taken seven consecutive days of next months active tablets. Here are the instruction for your birth control pills:How do I take Lo Loestrin Fe?

Take one pill every day at the same time. If you miss pills you could get pregnant. This includes starting the pack late. The more pills you miss, the more likely you are to get pregnant.You may have spotting or light bleeding, or may feel sick to your stomach during the first few months of taking Lo Loestrin Fe. If you have spotting or light bleeding or feel sick to your stomach, do not stop taking the pill. The problem will usually go away. If it doesn't go away, check with your healthcare provider.Missing pills can also cause spotting or light bleeding, even when you take these missed pills later. On the days you take 2 pills to make up for missed pills, you could also feel a little sick to your stomach.If you have trouble remembering to take Lo Loestrin Fe, talk to your healthcare provider about how to make pill-taking easier or about using another method of birth control.If you have vomiting or diarrhea (within 3 to 4 hours after you take your pill), you should follow the instructions for “What to Do if You Miss Pills”.If you have any questions or are unsure about the information in this leaflet, call your healthcare provider.Before you start taking Lo Loestrin FeDecide what time of day you want to take your pill. It is important to take it at the same time every day.Look at your pill pack: The Lo Loestrin Fe pill pack has 24 "active" blue pills (with hormones) and 2 “active” white pills (with hormones) for Weeks 1, 2, 3 and part of Week 4. The pill pack also has 2 "reminder" brown pills (without hormones) for the last part of Week 4.Find: ● Where on the pack to start taking pills, ● In what order to take the pills (follow the arrows), and ● The week numbers as shown in the picture aboveHave ready at all times: ● Another kind of birth control (such as a condom and spermicide) to use as a back-up in case you miss pills ● An extra pill packWhen to start the first pack of Lo Loestrin FeTake the day label strip that starts with the first day of your period. (This is the day you start bleeding or spotting, even if it is almost midnight when the bleeding begins.)Place the day label strip on the tablet dispenser over the area that has the days of the week (starting with Sunday) printed on the plastic.Take the first blue pill of the first pack during the first 24 hours of your period.You will not need to use a back-up method of birth control, because you are starting the pill at the beginning of your period. However, if you start Lo Loestrin Fe later than the first day of your period, or if you start after having a baby and you have not yet resumed your periods, you should use another method of birth control (such as a condom and spermicide) as a back-up method until you have taken 7 blue pills.What to do during the monthTake one pill at the same time every day until the pack is empty.Do not skip pills even if you are spotting or bleeding between monthly periods or feel sick to your stomach (nausea).Do not skip pills even if you do not have sex very often.When you finish a pack of Lo Loestrin Fe, start the next pack on the day after your last brown “reminder" pill. Do not skip any days between packs.What to do if you miss pillsBirth control pills may not be as effective if you miss any blue or white pills, especially if you miss the first few or the last few blue pills in a pack.

If you miss ONE blue pill, follow these steps:

Take it as soon as you remember. Take the next pill at your regular time. This means you may take two pills in 1 day.You do not need to use a back-up birth control method if you have sex.If you miss TWO blue pills in a row in Week 1 or Week 2 of your pack, follow these steps:

TakeTwo pills on the day you remember and two pills the next day.One pill a day until you finish the pack.You could become pregnant if you have sex during the first 7 days after you restart your pills. You MUST use a non-hormonal birth control method (such as a condom and spermicide) as a back-up for those 7 days.If you miss TWO pills (blue or white) in a row in Week 3 or Week 4 of your pack, follow these steps:

Throw out the rest of the pill pack and start a new pack that same day.You may not have your period this month but this is expected. However, if you miss your period 2 months in a row, call your healthcare provider because you might be pregnant.You could become pregnant if you have sex during the first 7 days after you restart your pills. You MUST use a non-hormonal birth control method (such as a condom and spermicide) as a back-up for those 7 days after you restart your pills.If you miss THREE OR MORE pills (blue or white) in a row at any time, follow these steps:

Throw out the rest of the pill pack and start a new pack that same day.You may not have your period this month but this is expected. However, if you miss your period 2 months in a row, call your healthcare provider because you might be pregnant.You could become pregnant if you have sex on the days when you missed pills or during the first 7 days after restarting your pills. You MUST use a non-hormonal birth control method (such as a condom and spermicide) as a back-up the next time you have sex and for the first 7 days after you restart your pills.If you forget either of the 2 brown "reminder" pills in Week 4, follow these steps:

Throw away the pills you missed.Keep taking one pill each day until the pack is empty.You do not need to use a back-up method of birth control.If you are still not sure what to do about the pills you have missed:

Use a back-up method of birth control anytime you have sex.Keep taking one pill each day until you can reach your healthcare provider.